The Age of Spiritual Machines
The Age of Spiritual Machines by Ray Kurzweilby Ray Kurzweil
Shares rank 91 of 152 nonfiction books by recommenders
Readers recommend it for Kurzweil's computing predictions, which they found accurate. The common caveat is that his biology and longevity forecasts seem well off.
Readers recommend it for Kurzweil's computing predictions, which they found accurate. The common caveat is that his biology and longevity forecasts seem well off.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 60%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Accurate predictions about computing
“He's had solid predictions around computing, but for biology (and longevity) he seems to be way off.”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “Kevin Kelly's 2016 AI Predictions, 10 Years Later” “If you really want your mind blown look at how accurate Ray Kurzweil was”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “Kevin Kelly's 2016 AI Predictions, 10 Years Later” Formative read for early readers
“I was so into it 26-27 years ago.”
Comment from 16 Feb 2026 in “I don't think AGI is imminent”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Biology and longevity predictions seem wrong
“He's had solid predictions around computing, but for biology (and longevity) he seems to be way off.”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “Kevin Kelly's 2016 AI Predictions, 10 Years Later” Many predictions judged awful
“Seems like Kurzweil's has a huge number of awful predictions.”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “Kevin Kelly's 2016 AI Predictions, 10 Years Later” Blamed for spreading AI hype
“Ray Kurzweil and his "Age of Spiritual Machines", which I read in 1999, is much more to blame than the others”
Comment from 4 Nov 2025 in “How AGI became the most consequential conspiracy theory of our time”
Other nonfiction books people recommend
The four most recommended other nonfiction books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cuckoo's Eggby Cliff Stoll | 40 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Amusing Ourselves to Deathby Neil Postman | 36 | 0 | 100% | 9 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| The Anxious Generationby Jonathan Haidt | 24 | 12 | 67% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Bullshit Jobsby David Graeber | 20 | 12 | 63% | 8 | — | — |
| The Age of Spiritual Machinesby Ray KurzweilThis page | 3 | 2 | 60% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
All 5 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Seems like Kurzweil's has a huge number of awful predictions.”
“He's had solid predictions around computing, but for biology (and longevity) he seems to be way off.”
“If you really want your mind blown look at how accurate Ray Kurzweil was”
“I was so into it 26-27 years ago.”
“Ray Kurzweil and his "Age of Spiritual Machines", which I read in 1999, is much more to blame than the others”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.